Obstacles of the Gifted
by Whispery Muse
Summary: A new girl on the block wants to join the Young Justice team, but with a hunter out for her blood, will she be able to prove trustworthy? T for possible language/violence. R&R please! Roy/OC pairing.
1. Escape

As soon as she knew she was awake she listened. The sound of the rustling leaves above her was slightly relaxing, but that wasn't what she needed to hear. Turning her thoughts to the other noises bombarding her ears, she froze as a familiar noise rattled her bones, sending her mind into terror. Violently shoving herself up from the pile of leaves she had been sleeping in, she forced her bare feet to pound over the frozen ground. The sun hadn't even come up yet, but she managed not to fall as she stumbled over the hill. The sea's mist covered her tracks, but her heavy breathing was amplified and her nervousness.

A tree branch snapped behind her. A fresh wave of terror gave her cut and bruised feet an extra boost of speed, and she peered through the mist, trying to find a place where she could finally lay down and rest, without worrying about her pursuer. Exhaustion pulled her down towards the ground, but the urgency to escape was stronger.

_You're going to have to fight sometime, _a voice in her head taunted as she slipped on a rock and tumbled the rest of the way down the hill. The roar of the sea deafened her thoughts for a moment, but she pushed herself up, wrapping her thin and shredded jacket around her shoulders. Her stomach cramped, reminding her that she hadn't eaten for a few days.

Reaching the town, she noticed a large mountain in the distance. _I'll fight it there. No sooner, no later. But that's where I must draw the line. I can't keep running forever._ As her weakened body went from a fast sprint to a jog through the town, thoughts and fragments of sentences floated in her head, and her vision began to grow hazy. _This is it. I've run for so long hiding from this…thing, and now I'm finally giving up. _Painful memories stabbed her mind, and she choked back a sob. "Keep going!" She panted to herself, her unused voice whispery and dry from lack of water. The mountain grew closer and closer, and finally, as she felt the last bit of her energy give out, she was there.

Stumbling, she fell hard on her side, and lay trembling in the cold mist. It took at least ten minutes for her to calm down enough to breathe normally. A darker gray silhouette appeared in front of her, and her terror threatened to drown her again. "No…" She croaked, raising her hands and trying to focus, but terror drowned her out again and she wound up scuttling backwards. A hand reached forward to grab her, and she felt herself shiver and freeze, heart slamming in her chest. Closing her eyes, she whispered a prayer as the figure grew closer and closer.

Suddenly, a wind whipped through the forest. A dark red airship flashed through the sky, and the thing was distracted, letting out a strange wailing sound. With one final push of energy, she threw herself backwards in one last attempt to get away from her mysterious hunter. Landing against something solid, she gasped as it gave and she fell into darkness, crashing into a hard surface and her head felt as if it exploded in sudden pain.

There were screams. The fires raged through the landscape in her mind, and she tried desperately to escape them. The metal sounded loudly under her pounding feet, and she tripped, the grated metal floor cutting deeply into her hands and knees. Something knocked the wind out of her and she rolled, gravity pulling her body downwards and over the edge of the catwalk. Biting her lip, she dug her bloodied hands into the side, trying with all her might to pull herself up, but a booted foot crunched down and she pulled her hands away, eyes widening as the searing liquid enveloped her, the hot acid burning her eyes, hands and lungs.

Her eyes flew open, as a thunderous metallic roar overwhelmed her. It seemed as if the noise was bouncing off everywhere and she couldn't place it. Whimpering with fear, she wondered if her pursuer could really be so close behind. Curling herself into a ball with her heart pounding, she waited until the sound lessened and slowly disappeared.

Unfurling herself, she shivered and rolled as quietly as possible into a crouched position and began to push herself forward. Her breath was disturbingly loud in the quiet space. She paused for a moment, wondering why she was still moving. The answer came to her a few paces later and she paused for a moment, feeling the cool metal beneath her hands. Her stomach cramped and she gasped, forcing her jaws _Just because you have a safe place from…it doesn't mean that food will magically appear before you, and you really can't save you from yourself. _

It was nearly pitch-black, and she froze as a soft breeze washed over her face, bringing voices and smells. A laugh bounced towards her, and she finally realized what she was in as the metal under her bruised hands gave slightly. _ I'm in a ventilation shaft? I can't believe I fit! Wait…why is there one in the side of a mountain?_ She frowned, but kept moving, the bruises in her side complaining loudly.

Putting her hand out, she gasped as it plunged into empty air, her elbow smashing into the side of the shaft. She immediately dropped herself to the floor of the shaft, a soft thump echoing through the system. Peering over the edge of the ledge, she saw a huge dark-haired teen standing right below her. He spun, his face split by the lateral lines of the shaft's screen. "Did you hear that?" He asked, peering around whatever room he was in.

A yawn responded. "Conner, it's nothing. You're tired. Now go get some sleep." A girl's voice soothed the disgruntled boy below her. He sighed and shot a look right at where she was hiding. Sucking in a small breath, she ducked before they could meet eyes.

Footsteps faded away from the shaft which told her it was okay to move, and she slowly let out her breath, and stretched herself over the gap and continued her wiggling slithering movements. More tired voices bid goodbye and what sounded like a jet engine started and stopped, with a mechanical voice saying, "Robin identified. Kid Flash, identified. Aqualad, identified. Artemis, identified."

She shook her head, exhaustion making comprehension impossible. For the first time in a while, she paused, thinking, _what time is it?_ Shrugging, she continued crawling toward some unknown goal. When the small tunnel began to warm up, she felt sleepy.

Thinking it would be a good place to stop, she found the hot air led her further up. Lowering herself on shaking arms to the warm metal beneath her, she sighed.

_When was the last time I could breathe?_ She wondered, but the hunted sensation was still there, and she was too tense to relax fully. At the same time, she felt strangely at peace for the first time since she had been running. The fan rumbled gently somewhere in the maze, and before she knew it she was asleep.


	2. Hiding or not

**Authors note: This is Whispery Muse with a couple disclaimers. I do not own Young Justice (copyright cartoon network). **

**I hope you liked the first chapter and I really hope you'll like the second chapter even better! I got some tips from the first one, and if my style seems a little different, it's because it is. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 2_Discovery

A grinding noise slowly brought her out of her restful sleep. Irritated, she cracked open an eye and yawned loudly before she froze, the metal beneath her reminding her where she was. Staring at the ceiling, she thought about what she knew. _Okay, A) there's a dangerous guy named Conner. B) Four people named Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Artemis were named by a strange bionic woman. C) I'm starving and need water. _The last thought was finished by her licking her cracked lips.

She sighed lightly and flipped over, feeling her bruises more than before. Noticing light coming from somewhere, she crawled towards it, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light. Vaguely remembering a flash of…_something, _she held her hands up and squinted at them in the dim light. All it gave her was a headache from squinting to hard and her stomach let out a rumble so loud it spooked her and she flinched. Realizing the source, she rolled her eyes at her skittishness. "Okay stupid stomach, food first." She whispered, and resumed her march towards the light. To her surprise she came face to face with a metal screen.

Peering out into the brightness, she sat in momentary amazement as a kitchen came into focus through the horizontal lines of the vent cover. Her immediate optimism nearly imploded as she realized the vent wasn't budging. Pushing with her shaking muscles, she nearly screamed in rage when it didn't budge. She pushed against the panel, and with a feeling of dread, realized that screws held it shut.

Tears fell down her filthy face unchecked, and she let her head fall against the grill in defeat. "So close, and I'm going to die right here…" Her voice cracked with misuse.

Remembering something with a jolt, she placed her hands on the grill, wriggling her fingers through the gaps. Her pinky finger was just barely small enough to fit, and with a prayer, focused all of her pain, anger, frustration and exhaustion.

To her shock, her hand began to glow slightly, and the screw separated from the wall with a hiss as it melted. Gasping in fear, she felt her stomach rumble again, making up her mind to be freaked out later.

Repeating the process with the other screw, she barely caught the grill as it fell, half hanging out of the vent shaft with her leg muscles shaking in effort. Gritting her teeth, she slithered forward and fell to the floor, only emitting a small thump. The wind got knocked out her, and she waited only a moment before scrambling to her feet. Placing the grille on the floor, she raced to the fridge and whipped it open.

The food nearly sparkled with temptation, and she snatched only a few things, barely remembering through her starvation-crazed mind that overeating would make her sick. Snatching only a few things, she saw a chair that she shoved under the vent. Footsteps hurried her movement, and she grabbed the vent cover, jumping in and placing the vent where it had been before—without screws.

Cursing silently, she realized that she couldn't truly disguise the fact that she'd been there. A shriek of pain sent her scrambling further down the shaft, and she put most of her body out of sight, leaving her head to watch the vent.

"What the—Megan? Did you leave this chair here?" Conner's voice thundered through the shaft, making her shiver. A voice mumbled, but it was too soft for the girl to make out. She leaned a little farther out, and suddenly there was a face in front of the screen. Ice blue eyes peered into the gloom, and she froze, _extremely _glad she was peeking out from behind a corner.

"You know, Megan, I think we might have a_ rat_ in here somewhere." His head disappeared, and the girl let out a soundless breath, deciding this was a better place to eat and sleep anyway. Scarfing her food down, she listened to the two in the kitchen, and once she was reacquainted to the sounds of civilization, fell asleep once more.

"So you said you saw something in here?" A younger voice jolted the the girl this time, and she froze, suddenly refreshed and energized from her rest and ready to run. For a moment she thought it was her hunter, but relaxed when voices bounced crazily in the shaft. The grate peeled away, and she began to slide slowly backwards, putting more distance between her and the strange voices.

"Yeah, I did. You'd better find it and give it to Wolf here. He's hungry." Conner's voice was cold.

_Wait, they have a _wolf? _Where am I?_ She thought, slightly panicked.

"Jeez dude, you can be really creepy, you know that?"

"When you live here with a rat, Robin, you can be as uncaring as you want." The girl's voice, Megan, bounced into the darkness. The hidden girl flinched, becoming more rattled. _They're all out there! _

Then a scarier thought stuck in her mind.

_Who are _they_?_

"Hey, look at this guys. The screws were…melted?" The younger voice asked again, and a different voice laughed.

"Robin, what are you talking about? There aren't any screws there at all…Whoa. Why do I have a feeling that this is definitely _not_ a rat?" The third, slightly whiny voice added. She began sliding backwards even faster, but suddenly there was a shout.

"I see it! Go get it before it gets away!" Conner's voice boomed through the shaft, and she gritted her teeth, feeling the shaft drop away behind her. Light thudding told her someone was coming inside the shaft to chase her.

_They know I'm here. No more hiding! _She jumped straight up as she began to fall, gripping the edges of the shaft and hauling herself into the opposite shaft. Shouts grew louder behind her, and she clambered furiously, taking a right and hopefully putting ore distance between them. The shouts faded, but the sliding behind her persisted. She kept going, trying to get _away_ from whoever it was.

After five minutes of sliding, falling, climbing and squirming, she stopped, only panting a little as she stopped before another grate. No longer concerned with staying hidden, she placed her palms to the grill. They warmed within seconds thanks to her frantic state, and the metal melted, spilling her into a huge cavern. The force of her landing jarred her bones, and she flinched as the vent cover fell next to her with a clatter. Noticing a small door on the other side, she grinned for the first time since she could recall. She began sprinting for the door, her confidence getting another unexpected boost as no footsteps followed. Considering going around the strange circle in the middle of the room, she decided against it. Thundering footsteps in front of her made her look around, and to her shock she slammed against some—_one. _

She flew backwards, and so did the person she ran into. Looking up, she came face to face with a red-head, green-eyed boy who gave her a grin. "Hey guys, 'it' would be the wrong word."

Scrambling to her feet, she kicked his head and gasped when he fell to the floor. _I…I've never hurt someone before!_ She panicked, backing away and shocked at her own actions.

Looking from where he came, she saw a huge shape flying towards her. A thunderous boom knocked her off her feet, and hands grabbed her neck, hauling her up. The world spun crazily, and she lost track of her thoughts for a moment. Furious light blue eyes stared into her own amber eyes. The world suddenly righted, and she thought she heard metallic footsteps behind her. _I won't get caught now!_ Instinctively she threw her hand towards his face, trying to get away.

Her hand touched, and he gave an animal roar, dropping her. Coughing hard, she pushed herself away and turned back to the entrance, but a kick to her knees sent her sprawling into the strange circle. Another boy leapt in, and a bright white wall went up around her. She gave out a scream, smashing her fists beside her and leapt to her feet, gritting her teeth in fury. _Are you kidding me!_

_Why are you running? _Another voice, not her own, pounded into her mind, and she struggled to stand, blinking rapidly. The presence vanished, and as her eyes focused back on the present, she ducked in surprise as a fist flew towards her face. Thinking was out of the option, and everything was instinctive.

A pale face filled her vision, and she sent one hand out to touch, but he was already gone. A sharp stab to her side made her crumple slightly. Looking out, she saw four people standing to one side. Panting, she jumped towards the wall, away from the boy with sunglasses, and plunged her hands into the wall. It sparked, sending her muscles into a twitching frenzy.

Growling loudly, she pushed harder against it, her hands glowing brightly with bright yellow sparks jumping up her arms. Sweat trickled down her back, but she gasped in triumph as a hole the size of her own self showed. Jumping out she made one last desperate attempt to escape sprinting towards only one figure guarding her way to freedom. A blue stream shot towards her, but she ducked, leaping towards him. _One touch—_

"Kaldur, look out!" A girl shouted, and suddenly, she couldn't feel the ground beneath her. Looking around, she saw she was floating in the air. Panting, she blinked, her mind slowly switching back into thought. _I'm…floating?_

"Let me go!" she wailed, throwing her dignity out on its tail as fear swarmed her mind again, and she nearly cried. Swinging her arms around, she found out she was facing the girl named Megan. Her next screech died out in her mouth as she stopped to think. _She…she has green skin…_

The revelation hit her hard. "Martian…" Her voice was still scratchy, but she mentally screamed at herself. _You just happened to fall into the hidden lair of the Justice League. Good job! You're officially dead._

"What is she mumbling about?" A blond haired girl stepped forward, hands on her hips and a bow in her hand. Gulping loudly, the amber-eyed girl began to tremble slightly.

"Moreover, who are you and why are you here?" Kaldur stepped forward, and another thing clicked in her mind as she hung suspended upside down.

"Atlantean…" She whispered, eyes wide with amazement, taking in the gills on the sides of his necks and his webbed fingers. _It does exist! All of it!_ Another voice drowned out her awe-filled one. _Yes, you idiot, but how are you going to get yourself out of this mess?_

_Tell the truth. _

She took a deep breath and began coughing again. Movement caught her eye, and she saw Robin stand from where he had been kneeling next to Kid Flash. "Why does it matter? She nearly beheaded Wally!" He accused, pointing a finger at her. She glared right back, her anger getting ahead of her brain.

Conner walked up to the green girl. Staring at his face, the girl felt her jaw drop, seeing his skin an angry red where she'd touched his face. "Conner! What happened to you!"

The boy named Wally grimaced and gave a weak chuckle. "I think it improves his face, actually." That earned him a glare from the green girl and Conner. If she hadn't been in the middle of a panic attack, the girl might've laughed too.

Suddenly, gravity came rushing back, and she fell on her back, hard. She began to wheeze, trying to focus back on the real world instead of slipping off. Forcing her eyes open, she stood shakily, slipping as she went up. No one moved to help her, and she sucked in another breath.

"Keida." She said quietly, and they all turned to look at her in slight astonishment.

"What?" the green girl asked taking a step towards her, but Keida took another step back as well, still wary of the Martian.

"I'm Keida."

They exchanged a look, and suddenly Keida felt left out for some odd reason. All of them pulled away, not saying a word, but standing in a circle and gesturing as if they were speaking out loud.

_Telepathy. I should've figured. Come ON, Keida, you must remember something Dad taught you about the Justice League._ She wracked her brain, but stopped, and turned around to look at the exit. _If I could just run for it—get away, then I wouldn't be a burden. Wait a minute, what am I talking about? This is the Justice—_

_ Hold on. Do you see any Justice League members? No. So what does that tell you? It tells me that this is a section that hasn't been publicized at all. And they're all teenagers…_

A screen flickered to life in front of the group, and she gasped, scuttling backwards a little bit. "Justice League there's a—who is that?"

Keida's eyes widened as she started into the masked face of Batman. All of the blood drained from her face and she felt her knees getting wobbly. "Robin, what's going on here?" Batman commanded, his eyes narrowing.

"This girl just showed up." Megan said, gesturing to Keida, who flinched slightly at the motion.

"Showed up? She broke in and burned me!" Conner growled, but the red mark was already fading from his skin.

"She also attacked Wally and me." The pale boy in the sunglasses added, but the Atlantean held up a hand.

"Her name is Keida, but…that's all we know."

The tension in the room suddenly grew, and Batman's frown turned downward even more, if that was possible. "Keep her detained until Martian Man Hunter and I can arrive."

Suddenly Keida found her voice and spat out, "Hey! I'm right here! Just let me leave and I'll never come back, I promise!" _Five days ago I would never have begged at this level._

She mentally snorted. _Five days ago you weren't involved in a mysterious factory accident that you can barely remember and Batman wasn't giving you the death glare that says, 'you are so screwed'._

"No. You've violated private property. Do as I say and contact Black Canary."

The screen went blank, and six pairs of eyes turned back to her. Suddenly the silence got to her and she glared at them back, shaking with fear. "What? Do you have a problem?" She bit at them, and the red-head, _wasn't his name Wally?_ Took a step back away from her.

The blond came closer and Keida barely kept herself from flinching. "So what possessed _you_ to break in? How'd you even find this place?" When Keida didn't respond, the other girl cracked her knuckles, handing her bow to the—

"Robin, hold my bow."

_No way! Robin? As in…well, that certainly makes sense._

"Artemis, leave her alone." Kaldur stared at the blond with dark brown eyes, and when they turned onto Keida she nearly cowered. Mentally preparing herself to speak, she squeaked pathetically instead. _I'm going to die. After all that hard work, I'm going to die right here, in a creepy cave. What joy. _

"Why did you break in?" Kaldur asked again, and she was taken aback by the soft cadence of his voice. At least he was calm, and Keida felt herself unwind slightly.

"I'm running." She responded haltingly. When no one said anything, she felt forced to fill the silence. "And I can't tell you any more than that."

"Why not? Are you a secret agent from somewhere special? Have a secret to hide? Or do you know where a special weapon is that will destroy the world? Oo, maybe you're an assassin!" Wally spouted, and she was so surprised she stopped and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Wally, shut up. You're scaring her." Robin spoke, but he was behind her, and she spun on her heel, the hunted sensation quickly rising in her mind.

"N-nno . That's not it. I can't tell you…because I'm supposed to be dead."


	3. Objections

**This is Whispery Muse again. This chapter was really difficult for me to write just because it's important, but didn't fall into my original plan for the story. But it just doesn't work out unless this happens. Anyways, for those chomping at the bit for the pairing, it might take a little bit to get there, sorry. Please read and review! I won't bash if somebody critiques my writing, because any help is appreciated. Thanks!**

CHAPTER_3

She was taken to an interrogation room. Or at least that's what Keida thought it was as she eyed the table and chairs with the mirror. Turning around, she was stupefied to find the door was locked. She tried it a few more times, and then banged her head against it in frustration. When nothing happened, she gave up and stood in the middle of the room, staring at her filthy reflection with apprehension.

_This is going to make a _great_ impression, Keida. No, the crazy girl in the locked room is genuine! She's just covered in muck and looks like she needs psychological help!_

The tumblers in the lock began to turn, and a tall figure came in, the door shutting behind him ominously. "Sit down, please."

Keida nearly fell down as she saw the tall man had green skin. Skittering backwards, she reached around behind her until she felt the chair and sat down heavily. "Y-y-you're a M-martian." She sputtered, her mind barely computed what was going on.

"Yes I am. I am Martian Man Hunter. Who are you?" His voice was strangely gentle, but Keida didn't let herself relax for a second.

"I need your help. There's something hunting me, and it won't leave me alone. It's going to kill me!" Her voice hitched at the last few words.

"Is that why you're so tired?" He asked gently. "Why is this thing after you?"

She closed her eyes, her dirty hair brushing against her cheek, and suddenly she realized how filthy she was. "Yes. I-… I'm running because—" Keida cut herself off and met Martian Man Hunter's red eyes. "I can't tell you. You're trying to trick me, and I really want to tell you, but please…Kill it first!" She begged, and tears began to drip down her chin.

Suddenly a calming presence entered her mind, and her fear felt soothed—but then the realization hit her square in the face. "Get out!" She yelled, shoving herself away and smashed herself flat against the wall-as far away from the Martian as possible. "Leave me alone in my head." Her emotions came back at full force, and she had to take a moment to swallow her panic.

"Are you sure that you can't tell us why?"

"No! Because I'm supposed to be dead! Nobody can know I'm alive!"

Her words reverberated in the quiet room, and she saw the mirror. Her insides turned cold. "Why are you watching me? Am I that important?" she shouted.

"You broke into Justice League property. You assaulted a Justice League member, and you have been pursued by someone who wants to possible to harm to the Justice League. You are the key to discovering what we're being involved in right now."

His voice was now slightly on edge, and she sat down slowly, still keeping as far away from him as possible. "So we need to know what you know."

Keida felt her heart rate slowly go down and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself further. "I've been chased—for a very long time...by something. I don't know what it is, because frankly I didn't wait to stay and find out. But, I did something that wasn't right. But what I were discovering wasn't right either. Never did find out what it was. It did have to do with the Justice League, but before I could get a clue—"

"Got caught? By the authorities, or something else?" Martian Man Hunter prodded, and Keida finally found the courage to look him straight in the eye.

"I never saw a face. There was a light, and I ran—and then there was this horrible voice that wouldn't leave, saying that its job was to kill intruders." She shuddered at the memory, clenching her fists tightly. "So I ran. And I haven't stopped since until now. I'm pretty sure it won't stop now that I'm not moving, and if you could kindly figure out why it wants to kill me I would appreciate it. That way all my time spent running won't be a waste!"

Her last comment was accompanied by her fists slamming into the table, but the Martian didn't respond. Awkwardness permeated the air, and she sighed, blowing her grimy hair out of her face. Taking a deep breath, she realized how horrible she really smelled.

"Erm…While you're deliberating whether to brainwash me or whatever, may I take a shower? It's been awhile…" She stammered, embarrassed by her request. When the Martian remained silent, her blush deepened to a darker color, but she doubted he could see it under the dirt.

A hiss echoed through the room, and the younger Martian walked in with a cheery smile. "If you could come with me, Keida, we'll get you cleaned up." Slightly wary, the temptation of being clean overruled her newfound paranoia and she stood stiffly, keeping one eye on the adult Martian. As they walked into the slate gray hallway, the Martian grabbed her arm and gave her a beaming smile. "Hi Keida. I'm Miss Martian. How are you?"

Keida gave Miss Martian a disbelieving look. "Well, I'm pretty sure you can try and guess what my day's like. Especially since I have _two _mind-readers trying to delve into my brain, I nearly died—twice, and now I'm in the custody of the Justice League."

The Martian palmed her forehead and muttered, "Hellooooo M'gann!" Turning her attention back to Keida, she pulled her around another corner into a huge locker room. "You can shower here, and I'll get you some clothes. By that time Batman and Uncle John will have made a decision about you."

Keida let out a huge breath she didn't know she had. "Er…Thanks. But whose—Oh." _Uncle John must be Martian Man Hunter._

_WHAT!_

"You mean your uncle is Martian Man Hunter?" Keida nearly flipped, barely keeping her brain from jumping to conclusions.

Miss Martian gave her a blank look then gritted her teeth. "Oops. I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Confused, Keida stretched her legs casually, avoiding eye contact. "Why? I'm not going to tell anybody. It's not like I can go home or anything."

There was a deep silence, and Miss Martian changed the subject, the sympathy nearly overwhelming in her voice. "Well, there you go! I'll give you some clothes when you're done." With that, the door slammed, echoing hollowly in the empty space.

Keida's sigh was amplified and she shrugged, thinking, _I might as well not delay the inevitable. Besides, I don't want to smell horrible and be all gross when my future is being decided by the two foremost members of the Justice League. Best impressions, right?_

Quickly cleaning up, she got dressed with the clothes Miss Martian had left her. _Wait…did she call herself something like Megan? Or was that some strange Martian phrase?_ Noticing she didn't have shoes or socks, she stood on the cold tile floor simply stared at nothing, quickly dropping into her habit of listening for signs of someone following her. To her puzzlement, there wasn't any. _Why would my stalker stop now, while he's so close?_

_He must be more scared of what's here than chasing me…_

The door slid open, and Keida jumped two feet in the air, letting out a squeak and dropping to a fighting stance. The Atlantean stood in the doorway, giving her a puzzled glance. "Miss…? Are you alright?" He asked quietly, and she nodded, feeling silly for overreacting.

"Constantly fearing for your life must have some effect on your mental health." He spoke, and she immediately picked up the attentiveness in it.

"I'll be even better when this is over with. Who are you, then?" She asked, hoping to change the subject and took a tentative step towards him.

"I am Aqualad. Please follow me." He asked politely, and turned to walk away. Rushing to catch up, she nearly ran into him as he stopped outside the door.

"AH! Sorry…" She muttered, and he gave her a gentle smile.

They began to walk down the hall, and Keida was beginning to wrap herself in her thoughts when Aqualad interrupted her again. "How did you hurt Superboy? No one has been able to do that before."

"Huh? Oh…wait, who's Superboy?" She asked, feeling more confused than she wanted to.

"The one you attacked." Even though the tone was calm, Keida finally exploded, anger getting the best of her.

"Okay that's it! First off, he attacked me first! Frankly, you _all_ attacked me first! I was just trying to run away from a giant metal man who wants to kill me for a reason I can't even remember! Then all of you sit there and point your condescending fingers at me like it's all my fault. Sure! I'd love to go home, but I've kinda got a stalker that will kill my family before you can whistle 'God Bless America', and how well do you think my family will feel now that they think I'm dead and can do this!"

She held her hands up and punched the wall with her fists, skin tingling with energy. The concrete wall melt slightly, the wet rock sliding down to the floor. "Oh _great!"_ She grumbled as her feet sank a little further than planned, and looked down to see her were smoking too, hot energy exiting the soles of her feet.

"So if you were in my situation, what would you do?" She asked, stepping out of the twin depressions in the floor. Her hands were still hot with energy, but her feet weren't, and she sighed, staring at them and taking deep breaths. Forcing herself to meet Aqualad's gaze, she was slightly annoyed to see his mouth agape.

"What it is it this time?" She moaned, and he merely blinked in a stupefied response. Keida fiddled with the hoodie she was wearing until the tension was too thick.

"Answer me! Or walk! Or do something that doesn't leave me standing her looking dumb!"

That seemed to shake Aqualad out of his reverie. "When did you gain this ability?"

She sighed and leaned back against the wall, setting her eyes on the two holes gaping at her like eyes. "I…I only vaguely remember. And for the hundredth time, I can't tell you until that _thing_ hunting me is caught!" She crossed her arms and gave Aqualad a pleading look.

He sighed and then walked past her. "Follow me. This new development must be reported to Batman at once."

"Hang on a second!" She followed him, noticing he had bare feet as well. Jogging to catch up, she asked, "So wait, does _everything_ that ever happens have to be reported to Batman?" Aqualad stopped suddenly, and she ran into his back. Instead of falling likes he would've expected, it felt as if she'd hit a brick wall and she fell on her backside, rubbing her head and wincing. "Owww…" She muttered, but it was more out of surprise than actual pain. She'd had enough of that to tell the difference.

"Yes, we do. Even though I am team leader, my team and I are under jurisdiction of the Justice League. Are you all right?" He finished with a puzzled look shot her way.

Rolling her eyes, she gave Aqualad a flat stare. "Man, you and your team sure love to ask those pointless and rather degrading questions." His face fell slightly, but he quickly put up a blank face. Guilt bit her, hard, and she tried a peace offering. "But yeah, I'm fine."

Standing, she brushed off the jeans that fit her surprisingly well. "We probably don't want to keep Batman waiting, right?" _Did I really just say that? Wow…When did it get so easy to refer to the Justice League member that way?_

Aqualad led her around for a few more moments, and then opened a door into a large business looking room. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked in and felt like her destiny was sealed as the door clicked shut behind her.

Looking around the room, she saw the six teens she had…fought earlier, along with Batman, Martian Man Hunter, Red Tornado, and a shorter blond woman she didn't recognize.

Aqualad went and stood by Batman, turning to whisper something in the adults ear. Keida was left standing, barely keeping her cool. _Just keep calm and carry on. When you're done, you can panic and freak out._ Then she noticed something odd. _Most of these guys are apprentices to Justice League members…are they starting a young fan club or something?_

"Keida. We're gathered to talk about you and your role that you may play in this team's existence. Please tell us your story." Red Tornado spoke, and to her surprise, she found herself more comfortable talking to him, considering Superboy, Robin, and Artemis were glaring at her, while Kid Flash was scarfing down food and giving her a once over.

"Right…Er…I'm—"

"We know already! You're some zombie chic that can't tell us what's going on because you've got a zombie master running behind you ready to take you down. We got that part already." Robin retorted sarcastically.

Even though she was tired, this time Keida was ready with something she clearly remembered. "Alright, try this on for size, smarty pants. I was looking into a company for my high school newspaper. The receptionist I was interviewing gave me a list of contacts for me to look at, and one of them was listed L.o.S. Ring a bell, anyone?"

It took a few moments, but each one of them went a shade paler as the realization hit home. "Exactly. Then I went investigating…This is where it gets fuzzy. I can't distinctly remember anything except—"

A growing rumble cut her off, and she felt dread cut her to the quick. "Ladies and gents, I present…" She muttered to herself, and braced herself for impact. _You always wanted to fight. Now's your chance._

Then the world exploded, concrete, electric bits, and dirt and grit crashing into the room with a thunderous boom, knocking everyone off their feet. A grinding voice permeated the dust and made Keida shiver in fear. "I have come for the trespasser."

**Ha ha does anyone else notice each chapters are getting longer?** **So these next two weeks are show weeks (I'm in a play) so expect a delay in writing because I won't be able to write as often as I have been. **


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